Friday, March 03, 2006

Gwen Gets Her Way

This is post 25 of Section V. To begin at the beginning, go here. Section II begins here. Section III begins here. Section IV begins here, and Section V begins here.

Stephen, meanwhile, seized their opportunity. “Come on, Professor!” he yelled, and plunged over the line, just as the transgendered float was passing. This was a simple wooden platform to which were moored two enormous inflated stick figures with flowing streamer hair, perpetually swaying toward and away from one another in an awkward, but oddly seductive dance. Bennett found himself appallingly close to it. He knew Stephen was in his vicinity, because he could hear Serena Mayfield quite close, screaming, “I can’t! I just can’t! I’m sorry Steve!” but he was unable to locate the boy because after the exertions of the day, he was suddenly overwhelmed by the heat, which until then had seemed merely one oppressive nuisance among many of that afternoon. He felt dizzy and weak, and the noises were reaching him through an annoying buzz of static. His glasses also seemed to have gotten foggy or something, and he was fumbling with them and staggering a little when a willowy brunette, somewhat husky in the voice, caught his elbow. “Hey, mister. You shouldn’t be walking around in this heat,” she said loudly into Bennett’s ear, so as to be heard above the crowd. Waving her free arm, she yelled, “Yo! Madison!” A very clean-shaven young man on the float grasped the problem and came to the edge nearest Bennett. With surprising strength the two managed to boost him up to the platform, where he collapsed on a lawn chair beneath the giant figures. Madison handed him a bottle of Naiad from which Bennett drank, gasping out his thanks.
He felt better immediately and was able to sit back and take stock from his new vantage point. To his left he could see Serena standing just over the yellow line, looking back to her mother. The female police officer was trying to take her hand and get her back behind the line, but she just stood there stiffly, tears streaming down her face. Her mouth was moving, but she was no longer audible, owing to the divine bowlers, who loomed on Bennett’s more immediate left, their faces distorted with anger, chanting “God hates queers!” To his right, with equal anger, rival chanters proclaimed their support for sundry alternative persons. He spotted a small knot of particularly annoying junior faculty from his college and raised his water bottle to them in ironical salute. Startled, they held a brief consultation before resuming their counter-protestations. Finally, looking straight before him, Bennett could clearly see Gwen, with Stephen walking resolutely beside her under the red PFLAG banner, taking no notice of Serena. Lizzy looked happily round from her perch on his shoulders. Behind them he could see the AIDS Alliance, then Unitarians and other assorted friendly straights. In the distance, he could hear the revving of engines and see a large lavender balloon that probably bore the legend, “Her-ley Davidson” in giant black letters.
Focusing on Gwen, he noticed that she was giving him the shining-eyed look. “Ah well,” he thought, as he toasted her with his water. She had gotten her way after all, but he was getting used to that.

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3 Comments:

Blogger Tom & Icy said...

That's funny that he ended up on the float when he wouldn't even go to the parade before. Like it's funny or odd how life seems to turn around or things suddenly change and give us a different view of the world. Something like that.

1:04 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Yes, but he also hasn't changed that much. Really none of the characters has. But at least what change there was was positive, except possibly for Mitchell Grout.

11:08 AM  
Blogger Doug The Una said...

There is something majestic about Bennet ending up on the float. Well done, Weirsdo. This is a very well-written, engaging tale.

9:10 AM  

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